


Survivors

by rebel_wren



Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Genocide Survivors, Post-Star Wars: A New Hope
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2021-01-27 20:36:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21398281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rebel_wren/pseuds/rebel_wren
Summary: Leia lost her people on Alderaan, and someone else who lost their people knows how she's feeling.
Relationships: Leia Organa & Garazeb "Zeb" Orrelios
Comments: 3
Kudos: 43





	Survivors

Princess Leia Organa brushed her hair out, watching herself in the mirror. Her hair was already soft and completely knotless, but she found that the repetitive ritual of brushing was soothing to her.

There was already plans in motion for uprooting the Yavin IV base and moving to one of the several planets that had already been laid out as backups. There was a lot of talk about going to a snowy planet, Hoth, and she was sure that was where they’d go. Leia supposed she had to follow- the Rebellion was the only home she had left.

A knock on her door startled her, and Leia quickly cleared her throat, wiping at her eyes and smoothing out the white ceremonial dress she was still wearing. She stood up from the seat in the quarters on Yavin IV she once would share with her father when they were there, and went to the door. She forced a smile before opening it.

She had expected her new friends Luke or Han, or possibly even someone more familiar like her father’s friend Mon Mothma, but she instead was greeted by someone tall, and hairy, and purple.

She had only met Zeb Orrelios once, and it had been years ago, but she could still recognize him instantly.

“C- Captain Orrelios,” Leia said, blinking in surprise. “I- didn’t General Syndulla just have her baby? I thought you’d be on Lothal.”

“I was,” he admitted. He had a thick accent, and a low, gruff voice that reminded her of some of the guard commander on Alderaan. “But I heard about Alderaan, and I- I just wanted to make sure you were alright.”

Leia suppressed a confused frown. Even with her brief time with the entire  _ Ghost _ crew, she’d mostly talked to the late Jedi Kanan Jarrus and his now-missing Padawan Ezra Bridger, and she knew General Syndulla and Sabine Wren from other missions and meetings. But she and Zeb Orrelios had hardly talked to each other before.

“Thank you, Orrelios, but I’m doing fine,” she said, putting on the diplomatic composure she’d had to learn at a young age.

But he didn’t seem convinced by it.

“First, you can just call me Zeb,” the tall Lasat said. They still hadn’t moved beyond the doorway. He was standing over her, much taller, but something about his posture in this moment didn’t make him quite as threatening as he could have been. “And second- I know what you’re feeling. I lost my people too, thanks to the Empire. And I was the captain of the Honor Guard.”

He said those last five words with a hint of bitterness, Leia noted.

“I was supposed to protect ‘em, but I couldn’t,” Zeb continued. “It took a long time- and a lot of help- for me to learn that it wasn’t my fault. I still gotta remember that sometimes.”

Leia was still staring up at him, her mind racing. Zeb didn’t know that it actually  _ was  _ her fault. That maybe if she’d just been a little bit more compliant, if she’d lied a little better, maybe if she’d been able to hold her tongue with Tarkin-

But also, she’d never have imagined that Zeb Orrelios, the tough Lasat warrior, would look this vulnerable and worried at her door.

Zeb seemed to wait a few moments for a response that didn’t come, but then he continued.

“Anyway,” he said. “I just wanted to stop by, let you know that, uh- that even if we don’t know each other all that well, I understand. And you can comm if you need anything.”

Leia smiled because she didn’t want to cry.

“Thank you, Zeb,” she said softly. He smiled back at her, the purple ears towards the back of his head twitching.

“You’re welcome,” he answered. “I’m actually heading back to Lothal, to help He- er, General Syndulla, with the new kid. You can come see him, if you want. He’s real cute.”

Leia chuckled quietly. “I’ve got a lot to do here, with all the moving. But I’ll stop by if I can.”

Zeb nodded. “Yeah, Hera’s sorry she couldn’t help, and that she missed the Death Star run. I think she’d be here, if Sabine and I weren’t making her rest.”

Leia laughed, a bit louder now. “That sounds like General Syndulla. Thank you, Zeb.”

He gave a respectful bow of his head. “I’ll leave you be now, Princess.”

He turned around slowly and walked out towards the base, among the hustle and bustle of movement.

* * *

Hera was reading something- an actual book rather than a mission report, much to his delight- when Zeb came back. She looked up at him when he came in, and set it down.

“How’s everyone on base doing? Do they need help with the move? I can’t lift much, but if they have gravli-”

Zeb put his hands up. “Everything’s going fine, Hera. The Death Star thing was a real morale boost, I think.”

Hera folded her arms. “I should’ve been there too. If they had the extra support of the  _ Ghost _ , we might not have lost as many pilots. Or if I was in an X-Wing-”

“You were in  _ labor _ , Hera,” Zeb reminded her. “It’s not your fault. How’s Jacen?”

She smiled a little bit, getting that twinkle in her eye she always did when she talked about her newborn son. “He’s good. He held his eyes open for the longest yet this morning, I think, and I’ve gotten better with feeding him. How’d it go with the princess?”

Zeb smiled. “Good. I just want to keep an eye on her for a while. She’s a lot younger than I was.”

Hera nodded, understanding. “She’s tough, I figured that out when I met her. But she’ll need the support, even if she says she doesn’t. I think it’ll be nice for her to talk to someone who understands.”

“That’s what I’m hoping,” Zeb said.

Zeb couldn’t protect Lasan’s princess as captain of the Honor Guard, but he could hopefully watch out for this one.


End file.
